1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integration of wires of an electrical cable, and particularly to a method for accurately integrating multiple wires in a high-density round cable in preparation for attachment of a connector thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An electrical round cable is commonly used to transmit signals between two electrical devices. A cable end connector which is attached to an end of the round cable is mated with a complementary connector in a corresponding electrical device. To attach the wires of the round cable to the cable end connector is generally laborious and troublesome work. Thus, better ways to attach a cable to a connector have been sought.
An integrating method for more effectively attaching a cable to a connector is shown in FIG. 9, which is taken from U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,769. A jig is used to arrange wires 90 of a round cable 9. The jig includes a first block 80 and a second block 82. A plurality of receiving grooves 800, 820 is defined in jig planes of the first and second blocks 80, 82. The receiving grooves 800, 820 cooperate to define a plurality of circular hdes each of which has a diameter slightly larger than a diameter of the wires. In use, an adhesive strip 7 is firstly placed on the first block 80. The wires 90 are placed in the receiving grooves 800 in a predetermined order. Another adhesive strip 7 is placed on top portions of the wires 90. The first and second blocks 80, 82 are mated together. At the same time, the adhesive strips 7 are heated to integrally melt with and bind insulative sheaths of the wires 90. The wires 90 are thereby fixedly spaced along a horizontal plane. This wire assembly can be conveniently and efficiently stripped and soldered to terminals of a connector. The wires 90 can be stripped in a simple one-step operation, and then soldered to the terminals of the connector in a simple one-step operation.
However, the above integrating method still has some shortcomings. Each slot 800 in the first block 80 has a depth generally equal to only half a diameter of each wire 90. The wires 90 cannot be securely received in the first block 80, and are liable to fall from the first block 80 before mating of the first and second blocks 80, 82. Furthermore, two adhesive strips 7 are required. This unduly adds to costs. Finally, after repeated use, the first and second block 80, 82 are prone to misalign with each other. When this happens, melting of the adhesive strips 7 does not produce a configuration correctly enclosing free end portions of the wires therein and correctly spacing the wires from each other.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for properly integrating a plurality of wires of a round cable in a reliable, safe, cost-efficient and convenient manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for integrating a round cable assembly whereby after repeated use of the method the method continues to be reliable, safe, cost-efficient and convenient.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a jig for conveniently and economically integrating end portions of wires of a round cable into a predetermined configuration corresponding to terminals of a cable connector to be connected with the round cable.
To fulfill the above objects, a jig in accordance with the present invention comprises an upper block and a lower block. The lower block has a jig plane in which a plurality of receiving grooves is defined. Each receiving groove has a width slightly larger than each diameter of a wire of a round cable to be integrated by the jig, and a depth greater than a radius of each wire but less than the diameter of each wire. The upper block has a pressing plane cooperating to the jig plane of the lower block. The wires of the round cable are placed into the receiving grooves of the lower block. An adhesive strip is placed onto insulative sheaths of the wires. The upper block is moved downwardly, driving the pressing plane to depress the adhesive strip. At the same time, the adhesive strip is heated so that it partly melts and integrally joins with the insulative sheaths of the wires.